Strike Anywhere, Bane, Touche Amore, Lowtalker – Live (June 6th, 2010)

Passing by a group of hardcore kids in hoodies and camouflaged shorts, I walked into Avenue Theatre on Sunday night as up and coming melodic hardcore act Lowtalker were halfway through their set. While I only caught three quick songs by them, their rough and worn, Hot Water Music-like, gravelly punk was strong enough to capture my full attention. Featuring former members of Misery Signals andComeback Kid, Lowtalker sees them going for a more reserved sound than their former bands and it works; with the right luck, Lowtalker has the potential to become a common name in the punk rock underground.

Following them came LA’s Touché Amore, a much more spastic and straight-forward hardcore band. Despite being on the verge of losing his voice, the vocalist was able to deliver his raspy yells with passion and power – he just couldn’t talk between the tracks. It was actually quite impressive to see him sing so strongly after hearing his weak introduction, particularly on the bridge of And Now It’s Happening In Mine which saw his voice carry throughout the venue even though he stopped singing into the microphone. Touché Amore stuck to a lot of songs from various seven inches, including some new cuts from their upcoming splits with Make Do and Mend and La Dispute – both of which should be great releases once they see the light of day.

The hardcore kids truly came out of the woodwork when influential hardcore act Bane hit the stage. The long running act domineered the stage, instantly showing why they’ve been able to survive for fifteen years and why they’re so referred. While I’ve never been much of a fan and couldn’t tell you what they played, their fans ate it up, fought fake ninjas, and sang along with every word

For me, the night began when Richmond’s Strike Anywhere took the stage. Starting with the one-two punch of We Amplify and Blaze from Exit English, the band used the size of the stage to their advantage. Front man Thomas Barnett swarmed around the stage, jumping in time and made the stage his own. Sadly his vocals came through the sound system oddly muffled as they were far too low in the mix. This meant that only during the rousing gang choruses – like that of To The World or I’m Your Opposite Number  – could you fully hear everything and that’s due largely to the crowd singing along to every word.

Strike Anywhere Set List
We Amplify / Blaze
The Crossing
Timebomb Generation
Hand of Glory
Infrared
Hollywood Cemetery
Chalkline
Instinct
Invisible Colony 
To The World
Sunset on 32nd
Sedition
I’m Your Opposite Numbe